Area Support Manager - North East

Chartwells Independent; Newton Aycliffe; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Dine Contract Catering is seeking an Area Support Manager to drive culinary excellence across our Northeast multi-site portfolio. You will coach Unit Managers and Chef Managers to deliver high-quality food, outstanding customer experiences and consistent brand standards.

In this role you will champion the food vision, support menu implementations, promotions and seasonal initiatives, and lead site reviews to ensure compliance and operational excellence across sites in the region.

Qualifications

• Strong culinary background within contract catering, hospitality or foodservice.
• Multi-site operational experience across sites in the region.
• Passion for delivering exceptional food and hospitality experiences.
• Experience coaching, developing and influencing managers and teams.
• Solid knowledge of food safety, compliance and best practice.
• Commercial awareness with ability to spot improvement opportunities.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the region.

Responsibilities

• Champion Dine's food vision, culinary standards and customer experience across multiple sites.
• Support successful implementation of menus, concepts, promotions and seasonal initiatives.
• Coach and develop Catering Managers and Chef Managers to build capability.
• Provide hands-on operational support to achieve excellence in food quality and service.
• Identify opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction, innovation and performance.
• Conduct site reviews to ensure consistency, compliance and excellence.
• Share best practices and drive continuous improvement across the region.
• Support mobilisation projects, new contracts and business initiatives.
• Act as a visible ambassador for food innovation and hospitality.

Skills

Culinary background

Multi-site operations

Coaching managers

Food safety knowledge

Commercial awareness

Communication skills

Driving licence

Willingness to travel

Job description

Area Support Manager

Location: North East, Multi-Site Role

Salary: Up to £34,000 per annum plus company car allowance

Are you passionate about great food, developing people and raising standards?

We're looking for an experienced and inspiring Area Support Manager to help drive culinary excellence across our portfolio of workplace dining operations throughout the Northeast.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a food-led leader who thrives on coaching teams, improving standards and bringing food concepts to life. Working closely with our Unit Managers, Chef Managers and Regional Managers, you'll play a key role in ensuring every site delivers exceptional food, outstanding customer experiences and consistently high brand standards.

Personality behind every plate. Food first. Always.

At Dine, food isn’t an add-on. It’s the centre of everything we do.

Founded in the Northwest in 1997 and still proudly based in Warrington, Dine Contract Catering was built by chefs and food lovers who believed workplace dining could be something more. Today, that chef-led, food-first mindset still defines us.

We’re a business where chefs are empowered to create, bringing together seasonal ingredients, local suppliers and bold ideas to deliver food experiences with real personality, purpose and pride. Every offer is tailored. Every menu has intent.

What You’ll Be Doing

As an Area Support Manager, you'll be the driving force behind our food culture, supporting sites to deliver innovative, fresh and high-quality food experiences that delight our customers every day.

You’ll:

• Champion Dine's food vision, culinary standards and customer experience across multiple sites
• Support the successful implementation of menus, food concepts, promotions and seasonal initiatives
• Coach and develop Catering Managers, Chef Managers and operational teams to build capability and confidence
• Provide hands‑on support in operations, helping teams achieve excellence in food quality, presentation and service delivery
• Identify opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction, innovation and commercial performance
• Conduct site reviews to ensure consistency, compliance and operational excellence
• Share best practice across the region and embed a culture of continuous improvement
• Support mobilisation projects, business initiatives and new contract launches
• Act as a visible ambassador for food innovation, hospitality and operational excellence throughout Dine
• Occasionally provide operational cover at sites within the portfolio

What We’re Looking For

You’ll be a passionate food professional with the ability to inspire others and raise standards through coaching, mentoring and leading by example.

Essential

• A strong culinary background within contract catering, hospitality or foodservice
• Multi‑site operational experience
• A genuine passion for delivering exceptional food and hospitality experiences
• Experience coaching, developing and influencing managers and operational teams
• Strong knowledge of food safety, compliance and operational best practice
• Commercial awareness and the ability to identify opportunities for improvement
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the region

Desirable

• Previous experience as an Area Manager, Support Manager or similar multi‑site leadership role
• Level 3 Food Safety qualification (or above)
• IOSH Managing Safely qualification
• Experience supporting mobilisations, change programmes or operational improvement projects

Why Join Dine?

At Dine, food is at the heart of everything we do. We're passionate about creating memorable dining experiences, investing in our people and continually raising the bar on quality and innovation.

This role offers the opportunity to make a real impact, influencing food standards across multiple sites, developing future leaders and helping shape the future of our business.

If you're passionate about food, people and delivering excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

Job Reference: com/2008/468300/52513002/SU #DINE

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!